It is well known that using a welding wire as a consumable electrode in the welding process may enhance the weld. An important aspect of using a consumable welding wire is maintaining a consistent and reliable flow of wire to the welding operation. As can be appreciated, interruptions in the flow of the welding wire may stop the welding process, thereby reducing its efficiency.
Wire drives for feeding welding wire typically have one or two pairs of rollers. Each pair of rollers squeezes on the wire to pull the wire from a wire package or spool and push the wire through a welding gun. Using two pairs of rollers provides more traction.
Known existing art wire feeders use spring elements that are arranged in a linear manner. Many existing art wire feeders use a compression spring. The spring may act directly on the idle arms or may push upon a cam that exerts force on the idle arms. The adjustment mechanisms for adjusting the application force provided by the linear spring elements are not positioned in the most convenient location for a user to access, however.
Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional, traditional, and proposed approaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art, through comparison of such approaches with embodiments of the present invention as set forth in the remainder of the present application with reference to the drawings.